Centrifugal rinsing device



Fil ed Feb.

H Em m H H mm D 0 2 8 M 4 mi N A o o o o c o M 0'0 fl o mv 0 0 0 0 0 0 00 0 0 0 .L 0 0 0 0 0 v0 0 0 w 2 u 0 0 0 0 0 0 6 0 0% WY 0 0 0 0 0%030 0B 0 a 0 wm mwmmuxnmmmmmm l onlJhnhukukulPunf. 0o 4 6 A. 6 020 O w w 0 00 0 0 v I 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0% 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 o 0 0 o o 0 0 0 0 h. 000 0'0 0 0|0| H0 Q 0 .w 0 0 0 u ?atentecl Nov. 24, 1953 CENTRIFUGALRINSING DEVICE William G. Landwier, Fayetteville, N. Y., assignor toEasy Washing Machine Corporation, Syracuse, N. Y., a corporation ofDelaware Application February 19, 1949, Serial No. 77,308

3 Claims.

This invention relates towashing machines, and more particularly tocentrifugal rinsing mechanism operable in connection therewith.

In applications Serial No. 49,682, now Patent Number 2,628,488, filedSeptember 17, 1948, and Serial No. 66,280, now Patent Number 2,60 filedDecember 20, 1948, there is disclosed a laundry apparatus having acentrifugal rinsing device in which there is employed a power drivenextractor drum having centrally disposed therein an elongated perforatrinse fluid distributing tube. In the arrangement shown, laundry isplaced within the extractor drum direct from the washing chamber andrinse water is centrifugally distributed centrally of the laundry fromsuch tube to rinse the soap suds or detergent therefrom centrifugally,after which the laundry is centrifuged to a damp dry condition.

In apparatus of the type described, the laundry contained in theextractor drum is placed therein manually, and upon rotation distributesitself along the drum wall usually with a greater number of layers offabric adjacent the bottom as compared to the distribution of thelaundry at elevated positions. It is therefore preferable that thedistribution of rinse water be axially imiform with no subnormaldistribution particularly in the lower regions because of the greateramount of soap suds or detergent to be washed therefrom.

The present invention is directed to an improvement in the distributingmeans disclosed in such applications, whereby the quantity of rinsewater centrifugally distributed in the lower regions by an elongatedcentral perforate tube may be increased and rendered more uniform overthe length of the distributing tube, or concentrated if desired incertain regions thereof.

The invention has for its object a relatively simple and economicalconstruction for deriving the distribution described.

The above and other novel features of the inventicn will appear morefully hereinafter from the following detailed description when taken inconjunction with the accompanying drawings. It is expressly understoodthat the drawings are employed for purposes of illustration only and arenot designed as a definition of the limits of the invention, referencebeing had for this purpose to the appended claims.

In the drawings, wherein like reference characters indicate like parts:

Figure 1 is a vertical axial section taken through an extractor drum andthe distributing tube, showing the distributing means of the invention;

Figure 2 is a magnified transverse section taken substantially on theline 2-2 of Figure 1; and Figure 3 is an elevational view of the topopenlllg of the distributing tube taken substantially as viewed from theline 3--3 of Figure 1. -Referring to Figure 1 of the drawings, there 1sshown an extractor tub l0 having an annular support shoulder l2, bottomI l and drain outlet [6. The bottom It has a central aperture I8 throughwhich extends a bearing support sleeve 20, the latter forming a part ofa transmission housin boss 22. The tub bottom is is clamped betweensuitable washers 2t and 26 located between the nut 2i and the boss 22.Extending through the bearing sleeve is a drive shaft 28 having asquared drive end 38 over which is mounted an integral extractor hub andbottom plate 32. Such hub has a complemental recess 34 for receiving thesquared end 36 of the shaft 28 and a sleeve-like portion 38 embracing asubstantial length of the exposed end of the shaft 28 and a belled mouthsection 38 surrounding the bearing sleeve 20, the bell mouth merginginto the annular bottom in. The bottom plate is flanged upwardly as at42 and a substantially cylindrical extractor drum 44 is rigidly securedthereto, the latter being inwardly flanged as at 46 at the top toprovide a working or loading opening. The drum is provided with aplurality of perforations 48 uniformly distributed over the entire areathereof.

Centrally arranged within the extractor drum 44 is a tubular elongateddistributing member 50 of generally conical shape and having amultiplicity of apertures 52 arranged therein substantially uniformlyspaced over the entire wall thereof. The distributor tube 55) is of suchshape as to be adapted for support upon the bell mouth section 38, thelatter being provided with one or more elementally disposed supportridges 54 through which rivets 56 may extend. The ridges 54 provideclearance as at 58 between the cone and around substantially the entirecircumference of the bell mouth portion,

Rinse water is supplied to the distributing tube from a suitablydisposed nozzle 60 located axially above the open top of thedistributing tube The top of the distributing tube is provided with agrille G2 or other intercepting or spreading means in the manner shownfrom an annular rim member 64 having depending spring fingers 6B and adisk of coarse wire mesh 68. With laundry disposed within the extractordrum 44 and the same rotating at a speed in the neighborhood of 900 R.P. M., rinse Wateris discharged through the grille 62 into the interiorof the distributing tube 50. Rotation of the grille in intercepting therinse fluid causes a considerable portion thereof to be subjected torotation and thrown against the inside internal wall of the distributortube 58, whence it is thrown by centrifugal force through themultiplicity of perforations 52 as it gravitates along the internal conesurface 5|. While rinse fluid is discharged from the distributor tube bythe action described over its entire length, there may be, for example,in the lower region, an area where the quantity of such distribution issubnormal. some rinse fluid may gravitate more or less axially of thedistributor tube without contacting or adhering to the internal wallthereof. Such water may flow over the hub sleeve and ultimatelygravitate to the lower region of the cone such as the space 58 betweenthe bell and lower cone end, and is thereafter thrown radially outwardin substantial quantities. It has been found that the region thereabovetends to receive or distribute a subnormal quantity of rinse water.

Since laundry placed within the extractor drum 44 arranges itself inlayers, the number and thickness tending to be greater in the lowerregions, it is desirable that such rinse water as tends to gravitatewithin the distributor tube 56 should be caused to be thrown against theinternal wall of the distributor tube in a region where distribution issubnormal or where it is desirable to increase the quantity of rinsewater discharged through the perforations 52 of the tube.

Accordingly, it has been found desirable to provide an annulardistributing plate 10 having a slightly flared central aperture '52adapted to closely fit the hub sleeve 36. Such plate may be forced uponthe hub sleeve 3 31 and positioned along the length of the hub sleeve atsuch position as may appear desirable in order to eifect an increase inthe rinse water distributed from the distributing tube, at the regionchosen. As shown, the plate H! is adapted to intercept such rinse fluidas gravitates thereupon and by its rotation throw such rinse fluidagainst the internal wall of the distributing tube in the regionindicated at X, whereupon the amount of rinse fluid thrown through theperforations 52 in such region is materially increased, therebyenhancing the volume of rinse fluid centrifugally distributed to thelaundry in the region located Iadially outward therefrom. The plate actsas a secondary means for imparting centrifugal force to such excessrinse water as would otherwise tend to imduly concentrate the dischargein the lowermost regions heretofore referred to. The action is such asto smooth the overall distribution pattern along the length of the tubeso that uniform quantities are distributed along the length forefficient rinsing. The arrangement has been found such as to provide auniform distribution pattern over a wide range of input volumes of rinsewateiu. since the input volume may vary widely with different availablepressures and is subject to further variation by the manual control ofthe supply faucet, this is an important advantage.

Through the arrangement described, it becomes possible to regulate thedistribution of rinse water along the length of the distributing tube.It is also possible to provide greater quantity of rinse water in thoseregions where there is a greater quantity of soap suds to be rinsed fromthe laundry contained within the extractor basket or where thedistribution might otherwise be subnormal.

While a single modification of the invention has been illustrated anddescribed, it is to be understood that the invention is not limitedthereto. As various changes in the construction and arrangement may bemade without departing from the spirit of the invention, as will beapparent to those skilled in the art, reference will be had to theappended claims for a definition of the limits of the invention.

What is claimed is:

l. A centrifugal laundry rinsing device com prising, a vertical axislaundry-containing extractor, a central hollow conical tube mounted forrotation with said extractor and having a multiplicity of perforationstherein along substantially its entire length, stationary means fordelivering rinsing liquid into the space within said tube from the upperend thereof, means at the upper end of the tube for initially impartinga degree of rotation to the liquid, and transverse bafile meansrotatable therewith and located within said tube in spaced relation tothe inner wall of said tube at the lower enlarged diameter regionthereof below said rotation-imparting means, said baiile beingconstructed and arranged for radially distributing falling liquid uponthe inner wall of said tube in the region of said baffle.

2. A centrifugal laundry rinsing device comprising, a base, anupstanding central hub, a surrounding laundry-containing, substantiallycircular wall secured to said base, and surrounding said tub, a conicaldistributing tube mounted upon said base and surrounding said hub, saidtube having its large diameter end at the bottom and being open ended atthe top thereof and perforated substantially over its entire length andcircumference, and a distributor plate mounted upon said hub andextending transversely of the axis thereof within said tube at the lowerenlarged diameter region thereof the marginal edge of said plate beinspaced from said tube, and stationary means for supplying rinse liquidto the open end of said tube, part of which liquid directly flows alongthe wall thereof and the remainder of which is thrown against said wallby said plate in the region thereof.

3. A centrifugal laundry rinsing device comprising, a laundry supportingcentrifuge rotatably mounted on a central axis, and comprising anannular base, a surrounding laundry confinin circular wall, and acentral hub sleeve extending upwardly into the centrifuge, a centralelongated distributing tube having an open upper end and perforations inthe side wall along the axial length thereof, said tube being mountedcoaxially within the centrifuge and around said hub sleeve, meanscarried by the tube adlacent its open end for intercepting and spreadmgrinse liquid into internal contact with said tube, stationary means forsupplying rinsing liquid into the open end of said tube, a transverseannular disk within said tube of a larger diameter than said open endmounted on said hub sleeve and rotatable therewith for radiallydistributing rinse liquid impinging thereagainst, said disk being spacedfrom said tube, and located axially in position to augment the supply ofrinse liquid to the inner wall of said tube in the region embracing theplane of said disk.

WILLIAM G. LANDWIER. 10

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS NumberName Date 15 706,441 McLaughlin Aug. 5, 1902 Number 6 Name Date AltorferJune 11, 1929 Barrett Nov. 12, 1929 Geldhof Feb. 18, 1930 Husk et a1.May 6, 1930 Van Ness May 20, 1930 Geldhof Dec. 30, 1930 Sanchez Oct. 19,1937 Dunham Feb. 24, 1942 Kirby Oct. 12, 1943 Sanchez Nov. 30, 1943Castner July 4, 1950 Scheele May 6, 1952

